Cable-grip.



Patented out.l 2z, lsol'.

P. H. STUART.

CABLE GRIP.

(Application med Feb. 2s, 1901.)

(nu Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PEROY R. STUART, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO A. LESCHEN & SONS ROPE CO., OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

CABLE-GRIP.

SIPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 684,956, dated October 22, 1901. vApplication led February 23, 1901. Serial No. 48,503. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, PEROY R. STUART, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Oakland, county of Alameda, State of Cali- 5 fornia, have invented an Improvement in Cable-Gri ps; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to a gripping device io for ropes or cables, and is especially applicable to what are known as aerial ropeways, and I have here shown it as applied to the class known as double7 ropeways, in which a car or carrier is suspended by a hanger I5 from a fixed rope upon which it travels by means of pulleys and is propelled by a traveling rope by means of a grip attached to the carrier and adapted to take hold of the traveling rope and be released therefrom.

My invention is designed to provide an improved grip for this purpose; and it consists in a novel combination of parts and details of construction, which will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying 2 5 drawings, in which- Figure lis a view of the grip. Fig. 2 is a vertical central section through the same. Fig. 3 is a front view of the grip and its connections.

As illustrated in the present case, A is the standing rope, and B is the traveling rope. The standing rope is supported by posts or other equivalent devices at suitable intervals, and the rope may be thus carried over 3 5 hills, valleys, streams, and rough countries,

such as is encountered in mining and like regions. The traveling rope passes around pulleys at each end and is propelled by any suitable connection, such as a grippulley 4o operated by an engine or motor, and this rope hangs beneath the standing rope and its slack may be supported at intervals by pulleys sufficiently lower than the line of travel to allow the carrier to pass above the pulleys.

The grip consists of a fixed jaw 2, containing a shoe or die 3, between which and the upper jaw the traveling rope is gripped when in operation. The shoe 3 is preferably loosely fitted into the jaw 2 and may be adjusted 5o from time to time to compensate for wear by set-screws, as at 4, or equivalent means for raising it. This jaw 2 is connected with the hanger of the carrier by means of a swivelblock 5, secured to the hanger and having a hole made through it transversely, through which passes a pin 6, which is lxed to the jaw 2. The jaw may be of cast metal, and the pin being fixed so as to project into the mold the molten metal will be cast about the pin, which is thus secured in place without machine-Work. The jaw is here shown as having an upwardly-extending arm '7, and to this arm is fulcrumed a .yoke-shaped upper jaw 8. This jaw projects from its fulcrumpoints so as to stand above the jaw 2 and its shoe, and both the upper jaw and the shoe are grooved and channeled longitudinally to approximately fit the rope or cable which they are'to grip. 4

9 is a spring by which the upper jaw is normally raised when released, so as to allow the rope to slip out of the jaws when the car leaves the line of travel of the rope, as when it reaches the point where it is to be discharged or stopped for any purpose. This. spring may be of any well-known character'. It is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 as a flat plate secured at or near its center to the lower jaw' and having its ends curved upwardly to bear under the end portions of the upper jaw, as shown in Fig. l. Y

In the Lipper part of the arm or standard 7 is fulcrumed a lever 10. The arm is here shown as bent forward, so that the fulcrumpin stands approximately in a plane above the gripping-jaws, and the end of the lever is formed in a cam shape, as shown at ll. In the top of the upper jaw is journaled a roller l2 in line with the cam, so that when the lever is moved the cam will act upon this roller and by reason of the antifriction contact will easily operate to close the upper jaw and grip the rope between it and the lower one. The roller is here shown as journaled in babbitted journal-boxes upon the top ofthe upper jaw. The cam is so shaped that the first movement of the lever produces a rapid closing of the jaws upon the rope, and the remainder of the cam is less abrupt, approaching a curve having its radius from the fulcrum-pin of the 1ever. The last portion of the cam is slightly flattened or curved in the opposite direction,

IOO

so that when the lever has been pressed down to cause the jaws to fully grip the rope this fiattened or curved portion standing in the vertical plane through the jaws and rope will lock the level-and prevent its being accidentally disengaged to allow the jaws to open. By this device a powerful grip is obtained, which will hold the carrier to the rope, so that it may be transported over inclines up and down without danger of slipping. The swivel-block in which the grip is suspended allows the carrier to swing, so that it will hang vertically whatever be the inclination of the line of rope.

The lever is disengaged at the point where it is desired to unclose the grip by striking against the fixed arm or lug, which throws it up and releases the upper jaw, which is immediately unclosed by the action of the spring before mentioned. The ear is then moved away from the line of the rope, either by continuing along upon the supporting track while the rope passes around a returningpulley or by being otherwise diverged from the line of the rope, and when discharged may be again gripped to the rope, to be returned to the starting-point.

In order to prevent the rope from wearing upon the jaws while leaving or entering them, I have shown rollers 13, journaled upon pins let, projecting from extensions l5 upon the lower jaw, so that the rollers stand in line with the line of travel of the rope. These rollers are here shown as cone-shaped or convergent toward the outer ends, so that when the rope comes in contact with these coneshaped ends it will be lifted over the angle of the intermediate jaw, and when in line with the gripping-jaws the rope will be outof contact with the rollers, which are grooved, as shown at 16, in the line with the jaws. These rollers are preferably east hollow, so as to make them light. The whole device is designed to be cast and cored, so that the only finishing necessary is boring the hole in the swivel-block, into which the supporting-pin is fitted, and one or two pinholes.

Having thus described my invention, what Iclaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination in a rope or cable grip of a lower jaw, an upper jaw tulcrumed above and at one side ot the plane of travel of the rope, and a fulcrumed cam-lever adapted to press upon the upper jaw and close it to clamp the rope between the jaws.

2. The combination in a rope-grip of alower jaw having an upwardly-projectiug arm at one side of the line of travel of the rope, an upper jaw fulcrumed to said arm projecting above the lower jaw, a cam-lever fulcru med in the upper end of the arm having a curvature whereby pressure upon the lever acts to close and lock the jaws.

8. The combination in a rope or cable grip of a lower jaw having a standard projecting upwardly and forwardly at one side of the line of travel ot the rope, an upper jaw fulcrumed in said standard and projecting above the lowerjaw, a journaled antifrietional roller carried upon the upper part ot' said jaw, a cam-lever fulcrumed in the arm above said jaw, with its face movable against the roller, said cam having a curvature by which the jaw is rapidly closed by the downward movement ot' the lever and locked by the completion of said movement.

4. The combination in a rope or cable grip of a lower jaw having a chamber in its upper part, a shoe loosely fitting said chamber and means by which said shoe is adjusted for wear, an arm projecting upwardly and forwardly from said jaw at one side of the line ot' travel of the rope, an upper jaw fulcrumed to said arm projecting above the lower jaw and springs by which said jaw is normally opened, a cam-lever standing transversely of the line ot' travel of the rope and fulcrumed above the upper jaw, a roller journaled upon said jaw through which the camlever acts to close the jaw.

5. A rope or cable grip, consisting of an upper jaw, fulcru med thereto, a spring by which said jaw is normally opened, a cam-lever fulcru med above the upper jaw adapted to close said jaw and grip the rope and horizontallyjournaled rollers at each end by which the rope is prevented from contact with the jaws while entering or leaving.

G. The combination in a rope or cable grip of a lower jaw, an upper spring-pressed jaw f ulcru med thereto, a cam-lever by which said jaw is closed to grip the rope and pulleys jonrnaled horizontally beyond each end of the grip, said pulleys being grooved in the line ot the grips and having the outer ends made conical to lift the rope over the edge of the grip without Contact therewith.

7. The combination in a rope or cable grip ot' a lower jaw, an upper jaw fulcru med thereto, a lever by which the upper jaw is closed to grip the rope and means for adjustably connecting the grip with the hanger consisting of a swivel-block attached to the hanger and a pin upon the grip turnable in said block.

In witness whereof I have hereunto sot my hand.

PERCY R. STUART.

Wvitnesses:

S. H. Nonnen, .Tassin C. Bnomn.

TCO 

